Invisible Children soldiers on with KONY 2012 campaign as warlord is in hiding

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  In this Nov. 12, 2006 file photo, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony answers journalists' questions following a meeting with UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland at Ri-Kwamba in southern Sudan.AP

It’s been more than a year since the video “KONY 2012” went viral on the Internet and brought slacktivism into the public spotlight, but the group missed its goal of bringing murderous African warlord Joseph Kony to justice by the end of last year.

Perhaps overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the campaign, San Diego-based organization Invisible Children had stumbled in the months after it launched. It struggled to address questions about its funding and expenses and then co-founder Jason Russell had a well-publicized breakdown. But the group is back on mission, with a fresh video and a renewed effort to shine a spotlight on the jungles of the Congo, where Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, is believed to be hiding.

"The goal of the film was to make the crimes of Joseph Kony and the LRA known on a mass scale."

- Noelle West, of Invisible Children

"We believe that last year was a monumental success. The goal of the film was to make the crimes of Joseph Kony and the LRA known on a mass scale," Noelle West, a spokeswoman for Invisible Children, told FoxNews.com. "The international institutions that should be responsible for implementing initiatives that could bring an end to this conflict have not felt enough pressure to provide the necessary resources to do so."

"We wanted to create that overwhelming pressure, and the KONY 2012 campaign was extremely successful at doing just that."

Despite the failure to see Kony brought to justice, the group claims to have succeeded on several fronts:

• More high-ranking members have left the LRA in 2012 than the previous three years combined, and lower-level fighters have defected in record numbers.
• Killings attributed to the LRA dropped by 67 percent from 2011 to 2012.
• Two high-ranking commanders of the LRA, Maj. Gen. Ceasar Acellam and Lt. Col. Vincent Binansio “Binani” Okumu, have been caught.
• In January, the U.S. Congress passed the bipartisan “Rewards for Justice” bill, which was signed into law by President Obama and effectively placed a bounty of up to $5 million on Kony’s head. President Obama also recommitted American Special Forces and authorized more resources to help go after Kony last April.
  And, Invisible Children claims, Kony is feeling the heat. As a result of the campaign launched against him, the warlord has gone into hiding in the jungles of Central Africa.

"Evidence suggests that Kony is in the border region of Sudan and CAR. Invisible Children donors have been funding the creation and expansion of HF radio networks across the conflict region for the last two years," West said, adding that Invisible Children has been funding the creation and expansion of HF radio towers across the conflict region for the last two years, which are used to provide early warning to remote communities and record LRA activities and in turn, locate Kony.

Joseph Kony is one of the most notorious guerrilla leaders in the world. He's been accused by government entities of abducting children to become sex slaves and soldiers. It is estimated that he recruited 66,000 children to become soldiers in the cult-like LRA. Kony was indicted for crimes against humanity in 2005 by the International Criminal Court located in the Hague.

Jason Russell, the director of KONY 2012 and co-founder of Invisible Children, had set out to create an activist campaign to bring down the dictator after he saw the LRA's destruction first hand while filming a documentary in the Sudan. His meeting children affected by the LRA led him to create the non-profit organization.

He created the KONY 2012 video as a means to promote the charity group "Stop Kony" movement in which Invisible Children set out to to make Kony an infamous global figure and have him arrested and brought in for his crimes by the end of last year.

The film was posted on video shattering sites last March and instantly trended, reaching more than 100 million views in less than a week, making it one of the fastest viral videos ever. The video energized young activists to re-post the video across social media, with some even taking to the streets on a night of global action to post stickers and posters along city streets to further build awareness.

The luster of the new campaign soon faded and for Russell, the sudden swarm of media coverage proved too much last year. The 34-year-old filmmaker suffered a public meltdown in his native San Diego, running naked onto the street near his home and slamming his hands against the pavement and throwing himself against cars while screaming and cursing.

Russell was committed to a psychiatric hospital only ten days after KONY 2012 went viral. He has since recovered from what he believes was a manic episode brought on by post-traumatic stress, according to reports.

"Jason is healthy. He’s been back in the office since last fall and continues to drive the film creation and creative outreach of Invisible Children. It’s been great to have him back doing what he loves."

Russell and Invisible Children say they are sticking to the issue of the LRA and bringing Kony to justice.

“We believe in universal rights of all people and have chosen to live that out by investing fully in seeing this conflict end. That is what we will continue to commit to our supporters and beneficiaries” reads a statement from the group.

The group is also planning to hold a summit this August in Los Angeles, where they intend to bring together the “world’s leading creative and academic thinkers to discuss the future of international justice.”

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CDC: 105 children died during flu season in US

Published March 22, 2013

Associated Press

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Health officials say the flu season is winding down, and it has killed 105 children — about the average toll.

The flu season started earlier than usual and ended up being moderately severe.

Roughly 100 children die in an average flu season. One exception was the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010, when 348 children died.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the latest number Friday.

The CDC said 90 percent of the children who died had not been vaccinated. This year's vaccine didn't work very well in older people, but was considered effective in children.

Health officials say children 6 months and older should be vaccinated each year, but usually only about half get a flu shot or nasal spray.

Learn more about the flu online from the CDC. 
 

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Tips for raising children with a positive body image

Many of us struggle with body image issues, most of which start at a very early age.  

Approximately 30 percent of girls between the ages of 10 and 14 are on a diet at any given time, according to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. 

And, body image disturbances can begin as early as the preschool years, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 

Children subconsciously mimic what they see and hear from the adults around them, so parents and other adult role models play an important role in promoting a positive body image.

The most important first step in fostering a positive body image in children is to lead by example. Children quickly pick up on any anxiety you have about your body, and through mimicking the adults in their lives they may internalize negative feelings about their own bodies. 

Instead of criticizing the fat on your legs, focus instead on expressing how lucky you are to have strong legs to carry you around all day. Don’t talk about things you want to change about your body. Instead, brag about what positive features you are grateful to have.

Next, incorporate fitness into your whole family’s routine. Play active games outside, or go for a run as a family and focus on enjoying each other and how good it feels to be active. 

Children take their cues from adults and will probably decide how they feel about exercise based on how their parents talk and behave. If you talk about how much you dread exercising or it being a punishment for eating a slice of pizza the night before, chances are your children won’t be too excited about it, either. Focus on exercising to be fit, not to be thin. Start young and make it fun. 

Try toddler yoga or simply kicking a ball around outside; these are great ways to foster a love of exercise in a young child.

This should be obvious, but isn’t: Don’t let your child watch you get on the scale. Many of us have picked up the bad habit of letting the numbers on the scale dictate how we feel about our bodies. As children grow, the number on the scale will grow as well. You don’t want them to be disappointed or feel bad about themselves because the number they see isn’t what they wanted it to be. 

Instead of focusing on weight as a number, talk to your child about feeling good, having plenty of energy and why it’s important to be healthy.

Food shouldn’t be used as a reward or punishment. Instead of talking about eating less (or eating foods you don’t prefer) because you’re on a diet, discuss making better food choices because they are healthier. Allow children to be part of the decision-making process and let them help you prepare healthy meals as often as possible. 

When cooking with different foods, point out the health benefits of the foods you’re eating. Remove as much processed food from the house as possible so that children are forced to make healthy choices. Any conversation about junk food should revolve around explaining why it isn’t healthy instead of saying that it will make us fat.  The more a child feels deprived, the greater the chances that he or she will want to rebel and eat what’s not “allowed.”

If a child complains to you about his or her body, stop and listen. Have a conversation about why they feel this way, and talk them through it. If they have unrealistic ideals about what they should look like, discuss the ideals they are holding themselves to and why they might be unrealistic. 

Remind them that the body is an instrument, not an ornament, and it’s beautiful no matter what size it is.

Jacqueline Banks is a certified holistic health counselor and busy mother.  Her focus is on helping other busy moms in all stages of motherhood keep themselves and their little ones healthy and happy.  She uses natural and organic solutions to solve individual health problems and promote clean living. Check out her website at www.jbholistic.com. 
 

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FDA halts trials of Amgen drug in children after 14-year-old dies

The Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it has stopped all pediatric clinical trials of Amgen Inc's Sensipar after the death of a 14-year-old patient taking part in a study of the drug.

Sensipar, which is approved for adults, is used to lower dangerously high calcium levels in the blood.

The agency said it was collecting information on the circumstances of the teenager's death. It said it does not know if the Amgen drug had any role in the death.

"This communication is intended to inform health care professionals that we are evaluating the information and will communicate our final conclusions and recommendations when our review is complete," the FDA said in a statement posted on its website.

Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company, said it had sent a letter last week to healthcare providers alerting them to the trials' halt and the patient death.

"Amgen is working as rapidly as possible to understand the circumstances of what happened. This analysis is ongoing and will be concluded as quickly as possible," the company said in a statement.

Sensipar works by decreasing the release of parathyroid hormone from the parathyroid gland to lower calcium levels in the blood. High levels of calcium in the blood can lead to serious health problems.

Sensipar, which had worldwide sales of $950 million in 2012, is approved to treat adults 18 and over. The trials were being conducted to determine the safety and efficacy of the drug in younger patients.

Drugmakers also often conduct pediatric trials because they are rewarded with an additional six months of patent protection for testing medicines in children.

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Julia Barr to return to 'All My Children'

Julia Barr will return to "All My Children," The Online Network announced Friday.

Check out Alicia Minshew and other sexy soap stars

Barr will reprise her role as Brooke English, the character for which she earned two Daytime Emmys for Best Supporting Actress and eight nominations. Barr will join Darnell Williams, Debbi Morgan, Vincent Irizarry, Lindsay Hartley, Jordi Vilasuso, Jill Larson and Thorsten Kaye on the rebooted soap.

The Online Network announce plans to revive "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" earlier this year, with production beginning Feb. 25. Both soaps will premiere in the spring, and each new episode will be available to stream online through Hulu, in addition to The Online Network. Viewers will also have the option to purchase episodes through the iTunes Store.

Click here for more from TVGuide.com

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FDA warns against codeine use in children after tonsillectomy

U.S. health regulators on Wednesday issued the strongest possible warning to physicians to avoid prescribing codeine to children after surgery to remove tonsils, adenoids or both.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a posting on its website that deaths have occurred after surgery in children with obstructive sleep apnea who received codeine for pain relief following such surgeries. Codeine is converted to morphine by the liver.

"These children had evidence of being ultra-rapid metabolizers of codeine, which is an inherited ability that causes the liver to convert codeine into life-threatening or fatal amounts of morphine in the body," the agency said.

The new boxed warning, the strongest available, will be added to the label of codeine-containing products. The labels will also include a recommendation that the drugs not be used in these patients in this setting.

The FDA announced last August it was reviewing the safety of codeine due to deaths and serious side effects in children. The agency found that many of these events occurred in children with obstructive sleep apnea.

These patients may already have underlying breathing problems that made them particularly sensitive to the breathing difficulties that can result when codeine is converted in the body to high levels of morphine, the agency said.

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Connecticut lawmakers considering a ban on smoking in cars with children

State lawmakers in Connecticut are considering banning smoking in cars that contain small children, WTNH.com reported.

The plan will be brought up later in the week at the state legislature’s Transportation Committee.

State Rep. Henry Genga of East Hartford, who has been pushing the bill, cited medical research in the creation of the proposal.

“Until they’re age 7, their immunity systems are not mature,” Genga told WTNH.com, “so they require a lot more air than you and I would, multiple times more.”

Genga also noted that simply cracking a window won’t cut it, likening smoke-filled cars with the windows open to banned smoking bars.

State police said the ban would be easy to enforce alongside the already existing child restraint law, which requires children under the age of 7 and under 60 pounds to ride in a child restrain seat with a strap.

"Seat belts, cell phones, child restraint seats and children wearing helmets," Genga told WTNH.com, comparing the ban to other simple car regulations. "This just makes sense, it's common sense; it's the right thing to do."

Click for more from WTNH.com.

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